Page:The International Jew - Volume 2.djvu/30

 says that the history of the Jews, even since they lost the Jewish State, “still possesses a national character; it is by no means merely a creed or church history. * * * Our history is far from being a mere chronicle of literary events or church history.”

Moses Hess, one of the historic figures through whom the whole Jewish Program has flowed down from its ancient sources to its modern agents, wrote a book entitled “Rome and Jerusalem” in which he stated the whole matter with clearness and force.

“Jewish religion,” he says, “is, above all, Jewish patriotism.” (p. 61.)

“Were the Jews only followers of a certain religious denomination, like the others, then it were really inconceivable that Europe, and especially Germany, where the Jews have participated in every cultural activity, ‘should spare the followers of the Israelitish confession neither pains, nor tears, nor bitterness.’ The solution of the problem, however, consists in the fact that the Jews are something more than mere ‘followers of a religion,’ namely, they are a race brotherhood, a nation * * *” (p. 71.)

Hess, like other authoritative Jewish spokesmen, denies that forsaking the faith constitutes a Jew a non-Jew. “* * * Judaism has never excluded anyone. The apostates severed themselves from the bond of Jewry. ‘And not even them has Judaism forsaken,’ added a learned rabbi in whose presence I expressed the above-quoted opinion.”

“In reality, Judaism as a nationality has a natural basis which cannot be set aside by mere conversion to another faith, as is the case with other religions. A Jew belongs to his race and consequently also to Judaism, in spite of the fact that he or his ancestors have become apostates.” (pp. 97-98.)

Every Jew is, whether he wishes it or not, solidly united with the entire nation.“ (p. 163.)

Simply to indicate that we have not been quoting outworn opinions, but the actual beliefs of the most active and influential part of Jewry, we close this section of the testimony with excerpts from a work published in 1920 by the Zionist Organization of America, from the pen of Jessie E. Sampter:

“The name of their national religion, Judaism, is